Automatic railroad-switch



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.-

J. OUDLIP.

7 AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH.

No. 591,821. Patented Oct. 19,1897.

(No Mbdel.) 2 sneets-snefi 2. J. CUDLIP.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH. No. 591,821. Patented Oct. 19,1897.

Altarnzy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN CUDLIP, on NESQUEHONING, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 591,821, dated October19, 1897.

Application filed January 15,1897. Serial no. 619,377. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that I, JOHN CUDLIP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Nesquehoning, in the county of Carbon and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Railroad- Switches 3 and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic railway-switches,and has for its object the production of simple andefficientswitch-actuating mechanism designed to be operated by a movingvehicle-as, for instance, an engine.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a plan view of my switch and its switch-actuating mechanismand so much of the track as is necessary to illustrate the applicationthereof. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the switch in the oppositeposition; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the switch-trip mechanism1 carried by the engine, showing one of the triplevers in operativerelation therewith.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 indicates the main-linerails, 2 the branch rails, and 3 the pivoted switch-rails, supported, asshown, upon the switch-block 4.

5 indicates a tie-bar connecting the switchpoints 6 of the switch-rails3 and designed to insure their proper relative movement.

7 and 8 indicate a pair of throwing-levers loosely pivoted at theiradjacent extremities to the bolt 9, located at the center of the tiebarand at their opposite extremities to the connecting-bars 10. The levers7 and 8 are medially pivoted, as at 11, to one of the ties of theroad-bed, and it will be observed that reciprocation of one of theconnecting-rods 10 in one direction or the other will cause theoscillation of one of the throwing-levers 8 and will cause theswitch-rails to be shifted in a manner well understood in the art.

12 indicates oppositely-disposed bell-crank levers pivoted to theroad-bed at the juncture-of their arms, as indicated at 13, and to theopposite extremities of the connectingrods 10.

14 and 15 indicate, respectively, what I will 12 adjacent to the switch.The levers 14 and 15 are medially pivoted, as at 19, and are providedupon their upper extremities opposite their connections with thecross-bars 16 with rollers 20 and 21, designed to receive the impact ofsuitable tripping mechanism carried by the engine for the purpose ofswinging the trippinglevers and actuating the switch through theintermediate mechanism.

22 indicates a third trip-lever medially piv oted, as at 23, between thebranch rails 2 and opposite to the trip-lever 15 and connected therewiththrough a comparatively heavy trip-lever connecting-rod 24 and providedwith an impact-roller 25 similar to the rollers 20 and 21, carried bythe other switch-levers.

The objects of my invention subordinate to the general object heretoforestated are, first, to provide switch-actuating mechanism which will notbe violently jarred by the impact of the tripping mechanism carried uponthe engine; second, to provide means whereby light and inexpensiveconnecting-wires may be employed in lieu of the expensive andcomparatively heavy connecting-rods ordinarily employed, and, third, toprovide tripping mechanism upon the engine which will yield slightlywhen brought into contact with the switch-actuating mechanism for thetwofold purpose of preventing violent shock to the tripping mechanism orto the switch-actuating mechanism.

By reference to the drawings it will be seen that if either of thetrip-levers is swung upon its pivot it will cause a direct pull upon oneor the other of the connecting-wires 18 for the purpose of actuating theswitch, the opposite wire being slacked sufficiently to permit themovement required. If, now, the

trip-levers are actuated in the opposite direction, the switch will notbe actuated by a push exerted through the connecting piece or wire, butwill be operated by a direct pull upon 'the opposite wire. The peculiararrangement of the bellcrank levers, triplevers, and throwing-leversdescribed enables the switch to be thrown in either direction and fromany switch-lever by a direct pull upon the connecting-wire asdistinguished from the ordinary push-and-pull or reciprocatoryconnection, and I shall now proceed to a description of the tripmechanism carried by the locomotive or other vehicle and de signed toactuate the trip-lever in the proper direction at the will of theengineer or other operator. V

26 and 27 indicate a pair of cam-supporting brackets provided withvertical ways 28 and 29, designed for the reception of terminal flanges30, projecting from the opposite extremities of tripping-cams 31 and32', carried, respectively, by the brackets 26 and 27 and yieldinglyurged in opposite directions by springs 33. The cams 31 and 32 areprovided with angular faces designed, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of thedrawings, to be brought into contact with the rollers carried upon thetrip-levers in a manner to be described.

3e and 35 indicate, respectively, a pair of bell-crank levers suitablymounted upon the frame of the engine and connected, as byconnecting-rods 36, with the trip-cams 31 and 32.

37 indicates a cam-actuating lever pivoted as at 38 and connected uponopposite sides of its pivot with the bell-crank levers 34 and 35 throughconnecting-rods 39.

It'will be observed that by means of the V mechanism just described theactuating-lever 37 when moved in one direction will cause the Ielevation of one of the trip-cams and the depression of the other, andthat when it is moved in the opposite direction the reverse movement ofthe cams is efiected. Thus when the engine approaches the switch theengineer by throwing the lever 37 in the proper direction will depressthe proper trip-cam and will cause its angle or cam face to impingeagainst the roller 20, for instance, for the purpose of throwing thetrip-lever 14 in the proper direction to cause the switch-rails 3 to beshifted as it is desired to pass from the main track to the branch railsor to continue upon the main line.

-It will be apparent that by reason of the employment of yieldingtrip-blocks the sh ock incident to the impact of the trip-cams againstthe rollers will be reduced to a minimum and that the danger of breakingor disengaging the parts will thus be practically eliminated. Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a pair of movable switch-rails, of a tie-bar, aswitch-throwing tiebar, a connecting-bar pivoted to the free extremityof the switch-throwing. lever, oppositely-disposed bell-crank leverspivoted to lever pivoted upon the road-bed and to the necting-wires, aconnecting-bar connected with said last-named bell-crank levers, andatrip-lever pivoted to said connecting-bar and I provided with a rollerat its. extremity; subv stantially as described.

2. The combination with a pair of movable switch-rails, of a tie-bar,switch-throwing levers '7 andS, connecting-bars10,bellscra.nli levers 12connected to theopposite ends of each of the connecting-bars,connecting-wires 18 1 connected to each of the bell-crankv levers,bell-crank levers 17 connected with said wires, connecting-bars l6connecting the last-named bell-crank levers, trip-levers l4 and 15 comnected with the connecting-bars16,a trip-lei ver 22 connected with thetrip-1e ver 15 through extremities of the trip-levers 14,, 15, and 22,vsubstantially as specified.

3. In tripping mechanism designed to be carried by a vehicle, thecombination with a plurality of cam-brackets, of a plurality oftrip-cams, springs designed to 'yieldingly retain the cams, acam-actuating lever, and a plurality of bell-crank levers operativelyconnected with the cam -actuating lever and with each of the trip-cams,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses,

JOHN OUDLIP; I

' Witnesses:

J. H. SCHNEIDER,

JOHN L. POTTEIGER.

a connecting-bar 24 and rollers carriedat the

